Your Guide to Air Conditioning

HVAC FAQs

Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning or simply HVAC technology is available everywhere. Your car, house or even your office requires a HVAC service in order to make sure that thermal comfort is achieved. However, most people still need some further information about heating and cooling issues. My friends at Air Conditioning Edmonton provided the following frequently asked questions about HVAC systems:

Why Change Your Filter Regularly?

When filters operate for long periods of time, they tend to wear off. This means that there efficiency would significantly drop, hence reducing indoor air quality. Changing your filters regularly will prevent allergens, germs and even dust from flowing into your house. The frequency of filter replacement normally depends on the type of filter you are using. In some cases, a weekly replacement can be done while other filter types may require monthly replacement. Your HVAC company technician will always recommend a replacement schedule for your filters.

Are There Regular Maintenance for Heating and Air Conditioning?

Yes. Unrestricted airflow is one of the most important part of HVAC maintenance. This aspect deals with control of dirt, dust, debris and other unwanted substances. This follows that your heat exchangers, filters, and heating coils should be free from any restrictions whether from indoor or outdoor. Most companies recommend a regular service of about twice a year. Remember that routine maintenance would help prevent unnecessary breakdowns that could be very costly.

Is it Necessary to Consider the Size of HVAC One Should Have?

Yes. But determining an ideal size of HVAC that your house should have is not a straightforward thing. Technically, a 300-800 square feet of space can be ideally cooled by a tone of an air conditioning system. The best way to determine the right size of HVAC system is to contact a companies who can be able to carry out a system evaluation. Some companies offer free home energy analysis, and you could take advantage of that.

How Can I Measure the Efficiency of Cooling or Heating?

That should be the first thing to ask your HVAC dealer. Efficiency is very important because it will affect your monthly energy bills. There are different ratings that are used to determine the efficiency of any HVAC system, be it gas-powered, electric powered or oil powered. The following are some of the mostly used efficiency ratings:

Heating Seasonal Performance Factor. It is abbreviated as HSPF and measures heating proportions usually of a heat pump. You should expect HSPF ratings of between 6.8 and 10. Choose a system that has HSPF efficiency of over 7.5.

Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER). It relates the amount of cooling to the cost of electricity your system uses. This ratio ranges from 13-17 in most systems. Higher SEER translates to higher efficiency which means the running cost will also be lower.

Energy Star. This is a body that deals with the HVAC products that meets the minimum requirements of governmental standards. It is an agency belonging to the Environmental Protection Agency. If the HVAC product has an ENERGY STAR label, then that should be your choice.

There are other efficiency ratings that HVAC system uses, and you can find more information from you company.